Diving: We did two dives that were sort of novelty dives because they didn’t involve much actual diving but both were amazing experiences. The first involved sitting at the bottom in about 15 m of water with perhaps 40 other divers and snorkellers overhead. The site was lit like a rock concert with lights from divers’ torches and from boats and floats on the surface. About 20 Manta rays came and put on an amazing show, swooping and looping and gliding, graceful and huge. I gurgled throughout. I should have gone even more heavily (i.e. over-) waited though, as this would have made it easier to just sit at the bottom and watch.

The second dive was the Blackwater Dive. This involved taking a boat with three or four other divers directly away from the island, straight out into the pacific until we were in more than 2 km of water, surrounded by blackness. One by one, we entered and, tethered to the boat, descended to hang motionless around 10 m beneath the surface. We stayed there, the boat drifting in the black, while all sorts of life happened by. There were lots of clear-bodied, other-worldly creatures and insect-like organisms. There was a brief encounter with a dolphin. It was an enchanting and scintillating experience. Highly recommended.

Equipment: Details not recorded, though I did have my HOG cannister dive light and camera.